CHAPTER 685

【 FEARN 】

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Fearn was a native of a small village in the Empire’s western territories.

He cherished the clear, winding stream that curved gracefully at the village entrance, the quiet evenings spent with his father, tracking game through the nearby forest, and then sitting together atop the village’s earthen slope to watch the golden-red sun gradually sink below the horizon.

He also adored listening to any traveling bards recount stories of extraordinary heroes, and he often imagined becoming a powerful adventurer himself one day in the distant future.

It was for this reason that, after the death of his parents, he resolved to leave their quaint little village and venture out alone to a much larger, more developed city.

After careful consideration, he chose the nearby city of Augsburg, where, upon arriving, a mere rural boy like him witnessed a level of prosperity he had never seen before.

To make a living, he took on whatever work he could find, serving as a stable boy, a waiter, or a laborer…

Over time, the harshness of city life smoothed out the boy’s edges, and the once-innocent youth gradually grew into a mature and steady young man.

Although life was hard and his days in Augsburg City were far from comfortable, and despite the immense pressure and hardship that constantly tormented those like him whose struggling at the bottom of society, Fearn, as a diligent and hardworking individual, eventually managed to save three gold coins.

He planned that in a few months, he would escape this oppressive city, use his savings to build a beautiful little house in a town near his village, and marry a lovely girl.

He also planned to plant a beautiful morning glory and proudly show it to Old Hans in the village.

Fearn had thought through every detail of his future.

Alas, war had erupted suddenly.

Before he could leave Augsburg, the city was captured by the Red Maple Kingdom. Fearn, being in good health, was unfortunately conscripted into the kingdom’s army as a city guard, and even the three gold coins he had painstakingly saved were confiscated.

His freedom was restricted, and he was forced to adopt into a new faith.

Although Fearn himself cared little for religion, being compelled to worship a terrifying being rumored to be an evil god filled him with dread.

He even once considered escaping.

However, after witnessing the brutal punishments inflicted on other conscripted soldiers who attempted to flee—some even beaten to death—he abandoned the idea.

And so, he remained in Augsburg City, completely feeling numb and bewildered.

That is, until the arrival of the elves.

These strange long-eared beings were even more beautiful, noble, and powerful in person than the legends had described them to be.

Like gods descending to the mortal realm, they captured Augsburg City in less than a day. Fearn, being one of the defending soldiers, became a prisoner.

Yet, despite being captured, he felt relieved.

At last, he no longer had to face those fanatical cultists of that evil god who spoke casually of murder as if it were nothing.

He had expected to be conscripted once more, but the elves simply had him spit on the detestable statue of that evil god and then promptly let him go.

He did it without hesitation.

In fact, if he had not feared those wicked cultist, he would have done it long before.

Once he was freed, even the three gold coins that was confiscated were returned to him.

Moreover, the elves even gave him an additional gold coin for his journey home.

One gold coin!

He had only saved three coins over nearly ten years of frugality…

It was impossible not to feel grateful.

“Merciful and generous elves, how can I ever repay you? Without your help, I fear I would still be imprisoned by those evil cultist…”

Fearn asked the elf who had helped him, his voice full of emotion.

But the elf merely smiled.

“We do not require repayment. However… if you have the time, would you like to learn about the Merciful and Benevolent, Goddess of Life, Eve?”

“Goddess of Life, Eve?”

Fearn was slightly taken aback.

The elf’s expression grew serious:

“Yes! She is the great goddess of life, the revered Mother of Nature…”

As they spoke, the elf produced a thick holy scripture from their robes.

༺⟐༻

Fearn soon learned from the elf about the faith of the elves and their belief to their Patron Deity, the Goddess of Life.

To his astonishment, he discovered that such a benevolent deity existed in their world. She loved all forms of life, saw all beings as equal, and guided her followers to strive for equality and a better life. 𝔯áΝƟBƐ𝒮

In their belief, no life was lowborn, and no one was inherently noble—everyone was meant to be equal.

At that moment, Fearn understood why the elves, after conquering Augsburg City, had distributed the wealth of the nobles to the common people.

He also realized why, in just half a day, the majority of the city’s citizens had shifted from cautious curiosity to enthusiastic support of the elves.

In that instant, Fearn became intensely curious about the doctrines of the Church of Life.

“Honorable Elf… could you perhaps… tell me more about the teachings of the Goddess of Life?” he asked eagerly.

The elf paused for a moment, then smiled even more warmly:

“Oh! Of course! My dear Fearn, brave companion and friend!”

༺⟐༻

Fearn never imagined that one day he would willingly choose to become a devoted believer of a certain god.

In less than half a day, he had been completely captivated by the teachings of the Church of Life. He knelt before the holy statue of the goddess and became a new believer, dedicating himself to her cause.

He no longer planned to return to his village. Instead, he resolved to stay here, to join the elves’ mission, to support Miss Sophia’s endeavors, and to strive for the future of the entire Maple Leaf Territory…

For the creation of a beautiful world without nobles.

To this end, he took up arms once more and became a militia member.

However, this time, the young man was filled with energy and conviction.

The war was far from over.

Soon, the city of Augsburg faced a counterattack from the Red Maple Kingdom’s army.

Tens of thousands of soldiers besieged the city, and the fighting erupted again.

What shocked and enraged Fearn was that on the battlefield, he saw familiar faces from his own village.

Ordinary villagers—people he knew—had been coerced by the Red Maple nobles through blood contracts, their families’ lives threatened, and forced to serve as cannon fodder in the siege.

Seeing the sorrowful and desperate expression on Old Hans’ face as his granddaughter died and his grandson’s life was threatened, and witnessing other villagers’ faces relax in death, Fearn’s heart burned with anger.

“Honorable Elf, please save them!”

He pleaded with their elf commander, his voice full of urgency.

“The only one I know who can nullify blood contracts is the Goddess of Life,” the elf replied.

“So… we can only pray to the goddess and hope for her response,” they sighed.

The goddess.

Pray to the goddess!

A flicker of hope appeared in Fearn’s eyes.

He could not stand idly by while those familiar people were being killed in such a brutal manner.

He wanted to save them.

Without hesitation, the young man knelt toward the temple and began praying softly:

“Oh Merciful and great Evé, please save Old Hans and the others…”

Augsburg was a large city.

Among the many militia defending the city alongside the elves, many were young conscripts from nearby villages, in addition to some of the local citizens.

They, too, saw familiar faces among the attackers. Shock soon gave way to intense anger, and anger then turned to the same fear and confusion that Fearn felt.

As Fearn prayed, others gradually joined him, directing their prayers toward the temple with reverence.

Soon, throughout the city walls, plenty of people could be seen all kneeling and praying toward the temple. Even the local townsfolk who heard of it joined in silently, moved to participate.

The nobles of Augsburg had long either fled, perished, or been punished. So those who remained were all commoners, each with family outside the city.

Moved by compassion and hope in the Goddess of Life, more and more people joined in prayer.

In a short time, large numbers of common folks fell to their knees, their prayers resonating through the city—a stark contrast to the sounds of battle from outside the walls.

Observing this scene, the elves’ expressions grew complex.

The commanding elf sighed.

“Stop killing them for now. Only knock them out once they reach the walls. These ‘soldiers’ are not our enemies but potential future believers of the Goddess.” (Elvish)

Hearing this, the elves on the walls showed varying reactions.

Some nodded in understanding, switching their blades to blunt edges. Others sighed, preparing control or sleep-inducing magic…

Of course, not all agreed.

“Captain! Isn’t that a bit too cautious? It’s just a game.” (Elvish)

The elf commander glanced at the speaking elf.

“Are you a new player from the second public beta?” (Elvish)

The young elf nodded.

“So what if I am?” (Elvish)

The commander sneered.

“Fine, even if it’s a game, even if you’re thinking pragmatically, how much experience can these weak people give you? Not even as much as goblins, right? If they become believers or allies later, how much support will they really provide? You’ll have to calculate that for yourself if you can’t adjust from other games to enjoy ‘Elven Kingdom.’” (Elvish)

The young elf was taken aback. After a moment, he quietly switched his blade to the blunt edge.

Fearn could not understand the elves’ conversation.

However, he and many others noticed the change in how the elves fought.

Watching these beautiful beings make such choices, everyone felt gratitude and respect.

Truly merciful and kind race!

Only the Goddess of Life could have such merciful believers.

The common people, moved in their hearts, knelt once more toward the temple, praying with devotion.

Fearn prayed continuously, bowing repeatedly.

Never before had he yearned for a divine response as he did now.

Never before had he knelt so sincerely.

The murmured prayers merged into a single chorus, echoing over the city, almost rivaling the sounds of battle on the walls.

And as the prayers of the surrounding people rose, suddenly, from the center of the temple, a golden power shot upward as a soft, warm energy spread rapidly throughout the city…

Fearn lifted his head in astonishment.

He saw golden radiance burst forth from the temple, with countless dreamlike golden particles dancing throughout the air.

The particles resembled life itself, yet floated like drifting snowflakes, descending gently and alighting upon the people.

In that moment, Fearn felt a warm, soothing energy spread through his limbs. The exhaustion in his body seemed to vanish instantly, and even the anxiety that had weighed on his heart was replaced by an inexplicable calmness.

“A miracle…! This… this is a miracle!”

“The goddess of life has responded to us! It must be Her Grace Evé answering our prayers!”

“Praise be to life! Praise be to nature! Praise be to the great Goddess Eve!”

The praying people spoke with excitement and reverence.

The elves’ eyes reflected astonishment as well, but it quickly turned into exhilaration:

“Incredible! This is truly the power of the goddess!” (Elvish)

“Wow! So if everyone prays sincerely together, the goddess really notices us?!” (Elvish)

Fearn watched the golden particles swirling through the air, his expression full of awe.

His gaze followed the dancing lights, growing ever more devout.

When he saw the particles descend upon Old Hans, and the mark of the blood contract on his wrist gradually fading before finally vanishing entirely, Fearn could not help but cry out in astonishment:

“T-The blood contract… the blood contract is gone!”

Drawn by his voice, others quickly noticed the villagers who had been rendered unconscious and restrained by the elves.

“Really… It’s gone!”

“The Goddess! The Goddess of Life had heard our prayers!”

“Oh Great and merciful Goddess, we thank you for your blessing, we deeply thank you for your blessing!”

The crowd was overwhelmed with emotion, their faces toward the temple glowing with fervor, and many were moved to tears.

Yet at that moment, the sky suddenly darkened, and an overwhelming sense of dread rose in everyone’s hearts.

Fearn instinctively lifted his head and looked up as thick, rolling clouds had gathered above them, though he could not tell when they had formed.

The clouds churned violently, streaks of lightning flickered with a faint purple glow, and distant thunder rumbled ominously.

Suddenly, the clouds parted, revealing a towering one-eyed giant in the sky.

Its gaze was cold, merciless, cruel, and chaotic.

Seeing the terrifying giant, Fearn’s face turned pale, and he inadvertently collapsed to the ground.

The figure was identical to the heretical statue he had once been forced to worship under the threat of the Red Maple Kingdom’s soldiers…

“God… The Evil God of Dusk and Twilight…”

He whispered, trembling.

The clouds continued to churn and the titan raised its massive hand and brought it down toward the ground.

In an instant, the world was obscured in a vast, looming shadow.

Watching the enormous hand descending, Fearn’s face drained of color, and an unprecedented fear gripped his heart.

In that moment, he remembered the rumors of entire imperial armies being annihilated…

But just as the hand was about to strike the temple in the city, a golden sword of light suddenly flashed from the void, striking directly against the Titan’s hand.

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